22-23

We took our Avalanche Awareness class up to Bradley today.  We ascended up the southern flank of the meadow, and at about 100' below the top, we headed south just adjacent to the main meadow (lat. long. coordinates provided are at pit location).  We fanned out and dug 5 pits.  Four of them had an HS of roughly 60-65 cm, consisting of F storm snow with 4F below, the ocassional zipper crust, and then a bottom 15 cm or so of basal facets. ECTX in all of those pits.  

For the other pit, we seeked out a wind loaded area adjacent to the other pits.

Elevation 7751',  aspect 92 degrees, slope angle - 18 degrees, 

HS 110 cm

0-40 cm 4F to 1F

40-80 cm 1F+ to P

80-110 cm 4F Facets

ECTP21 at about 100-105 cm, just above ground within the basal facets

This result was in a very isolated piece of terrain.  Stomping around on the wind drift adjacent to the pit location, we saw no shooting cracks nor did we experience any collapses. The stout slab seemed to be keeping us from impacting the week layer until we isolated a column and banged on it with the shovel. It was quite the collapse when the crack propagated in the pit and the slab was thick, hard, and heavy to lift. It makes me curious of how this snowpack structure will respond if/when we put a significant snow load on it.

Just one result, but an interesting one.

No unstable results in 12 pits, dug on E-SE and W aspects at 8600’. HS 125-140cm. Light to moderate winds out of the S, with strong ridge top winds overnight. No cracking, collapsing, or other signs of instability. S-1 throughout day.

Went on a tour today with some buddies with hopes of skiing the great one. Once up in the sac bowl, we opted to back away given the wind was howling. We skied the white worm, and saw numerous cracks shooting across the slope. I opted to ski a short and sweet N facing couloir which started out pretty firm into avalanche bowl. About halfway down, I had a wind slab release after one soft turn with the deepest portion of the slide being one foot. I was not carried as I immediately cut out of the fall line, the slide rolled for about 200 vert.

Went on a tour today with some buddies with hopes of skiing the great one. Once up in the sac bowl, we opted to back away given the wind was howling. We skied the white worm, and saw numerous cracks shooting across the slope. I opted to ski a short and sweet N facing couloir which started out pretty firm into avalanche bowl. About halfway down, I had a wind slab release after one soft turn with the deepest portion of the slide being one foot. I was not carried as I immediately cut out of the fall line, the slide rolled for about 200 vert.

Small slide from the cliff bands at about 9500’, on a NE facing slope on Blackmore - looked like it broke pretty shallow sometime after the snow yesterday. Photo: S.K. 

Went on a tour today with some buddies with hopes of skiing the great one. Once up in the sac bowl, we opted to back away given the wind was howling. We skied the white worm, and saw numerous cracks shooting across the slope. I opted to ski a short and sweet N facing couloir which started out pretty firm into avalanche bowl. About halfway down, I had a wind slab release after one soft turn with the deepest portion of the slide being one foot. I was not carried as I immediately cut out of the fall line, the slide rolled for about 200 vert. My friends opted to ski the direct headwall exit and had numerous small wind slabs pull out. Some areas were stripped to rock of snow. 

Small slide from the cliff bands at about 9500’, on a NE facing slope on Blackmore - looked like it broke pretty shallow sometime after the snow yesterday.

My partner and I dug a pit at 8553ft on a SW aspect in the sheep creek drainage outside of Cooke City. Our results were an ECTp13 Q3 @35cm. Our pit was 80cm deep. Layers we found from the top down in our pit:

• 80cm-50cm fist hard
• 50cm-43cm 4 finger
• 43cm-39cm 1 finger
• 39cm-ground fist hard

We also experienced whumphing on our tour which made us dig down and see what was going on in the snow.